Stars and Boulevards
by Red Pen Ninja
Summary: Or, "100 Themes of Puckentine". Short, fluffy one-shots about the perfection that is Puckentine, using the 100 themes.
1. Introduction

**So, I guess I'm a part of this fandom now. I wouldn't be a part of a fandom without shipping something so much it hurts and then spending hours writing fanfiction for my new favorite ship, so here ya go Puckentine fans! I proudly present **_**Stars and Boulevards **_**or **_**100 Themes of Puckentine.**_

**Disclaimer: Y'all please they would've been canon in the first episode if I owned this show. **

_Introduction_

Their second night at Nona's apartment (not Nona's, she had to remind herself, theirs, Sam and Cat's) was the first night alone, the first night as roommates. And in Sam and Cat's place, wrapped up in Sam and Cat's blankets in Sam and Cat's pull out bed, Sam couldn't sleep. She turned things over and over in her head, once again questioning her judgment. Telling Cat she'd live with her was so impulsive, just like everything else she did. She could easily, so easily, go off on another impulse _right this second_ and take off right now, head to Vegas or Phoenix and continue on. For shame, she hardly knew this girl. She had no ties to her, no reason to stay, no obligation that would make her feel guilty later on. But picturing Cat alone in this apartment, waking up to find Sam gone with nothing left but a messy pull out bed and a dirty plate as evidence, was enough to make her stay put. Frustration flooded through her at this thought. She hardly knew the girl, yet her she was, staying, maybe even liking the thought of staying.

_I should sleep, _Sam decided, rolling on her side and pulling the scratchy blanket up higher. _Too much thinking._

"Hey, Sam?"

Sam cracked one eye open and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she settled for rolling over to face the kitchen and meeting the owner of the annoyingly soft voice, none other than Cat Valentine, her roommate, her business partner, and (Sam supposed) her friend.

"Mhm?" she gave Cat her most bored, steely expression.

"Can we talk?"

A refusal sprang to Sam's lips, but she choked on the word 'no' when she caught a glimpse of Cat's face in the din. She looked so worried, so innocent, so trusting and adoring. She was so naïve, so needy, so dependent. In anyone else, Sam would have ridden them off as weak and probably might have hit them. But not Cat. Something always stopped her with Cat. She assumed it was the same mysterious something that had urged her to chase after that damn garbage truck, the same something that kindled a sense of warmth whenever Cat hugged her (which was quite frequently, Sam had noted), and the same something that had convinced her to stay with Cat in the first place.

"We already are," Sam deadpanned, but moved over anyway and patted the bed invitingly.

Cat offered her a small, grateful smile and settled down on the bed, lying down, of course, and facing Sam instead of sitting up. She gave Sam an expectant look and burrowed down deeper into the covers.

"So what's up?" Sam asked after she realized Cat was waiting for her.

"Are we friends?"

"What?" Sam barked out a single, uncertain laugh.

Cat locked her eyes with Sam's and gave her a look of utter trust, "Well, we're living together now, but we don't really know each other…"

"Listen, kid," Sam cut off. "We met in a garbage truck, remember? We rode illegally in a limo. We saved a guy from dying, all in the _same day_. How much more of an introduction do you need?"

Cat seemed to ponder this for a moment, falling so silent that Sam was certain the smaller girl had fallen asleep until she found herself locked in a frantic, relieved kind of hug. Cat locked her hands around Sam's neck and buried her head in her shoulder, tangling them together as they lay in the bed.

"So it's like we're meant to be friends! Right?" Cat cried excitedly, tittering that brief, high little laugh of hers.

That wasn't what Sam had meant, not in the least actually. But Sam agreed. Maybe it was the over-exhaustion talking, or the juice from that battery that might've leaked into her burrito from yesterday, or maybe it was the fumes of Cat's overwhelmingly sweet perfume; something had obviously messed with her judgment.

"Right," she echoed, shifting slightly when she fully registered that Cat was pressed right up against her.

"Good," Cat replied in a soft, sleepy voice. She dropped her arms from around Sam's neck but didn't make an effort to move away. Instead, she curled her legs up and leaned her head against Sam's shoulder. She yawned loudly and shut her eyes contentedly, smiling even as she drifted into sleep.

Sam stiffened at such close contact. It was so foreign to her, but she was too tired to fight it. It was fruitless to argue with Cat, especially when Sam was so exhausted and out of her prime. Tomorrow, tomorrow she'd tell Cat that they would be sleeping in separate beds. But not now. Cat was warm and Sam liked to be warm when she slept. Tomorrow, not now.

"I'm glad we're together, Sam." It was no more than a whisper, a slight disturbance in the air, so easy to miss. And just like that Cat was asleep, snoring quietly cuddled against Sam.

"Yeah," Sam agreed tiredly. "I guess I am too."

And together, they slept through the night.


	2. Love

_Love_

After a few weeks together, we had fallen into a routine. Every morning, bright and early for school, I would saunter into the kitchen, wide awake and cheery despite the early hour that school forced me to wake up at. And Sam would be awake too. Most of the time, she'd still be sprawled out on the couch, her blonde hair a mess and her eyes still glazed over with exhaustion, but all the same she would still turn to greet me and smile and scoot over and offer me a place beside her. But some days, she would be standing over in the kitchen, fixing breakfast for the both of us. Sam claims she's lazy and that she doesn't care and that she isn't sweet, but sometimes I think she's lying. Today, she's in the kitchen, pouring drippy, gooey pancake mix onto a skillet on the stove top. Her hair is piled up into a bun and she's sipping coffee from a mug and I feel warm for no reason at all. Sam confuses me most of the time, but I don't dare tell her that.

"Morning," she greets, turning away from the stove and leaning against the island as I take a seat across from her. "You like pancakes, right?"

"Who doesn't like pancakes?" I grin, watching the pancake on the skillet turn golden brown.

Sam laughs that deep, rich laugh of hers and I feel warm again, and then confused again. She turns away from me and I'm grateful, because I can feel my eyebrows knitting together. When she comes back around, this time with a surprisingly delicious-looking pancake, I try to focus only on the food, not on the blonde, confusing girl in front of me. I think I love her…did I just think that? No. Yes. I don't know. I'm confused again and I can barely finish this pancake, which is actually pretty good considering Sam was the one who made it. I didn't think she could cook.

"Geez, Cat," Sam's voice sounds on the verge of laughing and I can feel her eyes on me. "You okay?"

I force the last bite of pancake down my throat and rise so quickly to my feet that I almost fall, but I catch myself at the last minute on the counter. "Yeah. I'm just…late."

My legs feel so heavy and I have to drag myself out of the apartment to my bike, parked next to Sam's motorcycle and looking so opposite to the big, black bike. I remember riding on it for the first time, wrapping my arms around Sam's waist and resting against her back like it was so normal.

"See ya later," Sam calls from inside and I decide it's time to go.

I mount up on my bike and when I hear my own voice talking back to my roommate, I nearly fall off my bike from pure shock. "Love you!"

I say it to all my friends, but saying it to Sam feels so different, maybe because I think I might mean it more for her. I wish I hadn't said it, because Sam has fallen silent in the kitchen. I remain frozen underneath the window outside the kitchen and tears flood my eyes before I can stop them. Why do I always mess up with people? Why can't I just stay quiet?

"Love you too, kid."

And my mood does an instant three-sixty turn around. I pedal down the driveway with a huge smile blooming over my face, a smile that feels like it'll never stop. That strange, warm feeling rushes over me again and I feel warm and loved for the rest of the day. And that becomes part of our morning routine, too.


	3. Light

_Light_

"Wait, Sam, stop I broke a heel!"

Sam turns around, her hair whipping behind her as she groans loud enough for Cat to hear her, and drags herself back over to where Cat is standing under a streetlight. She clutches her ruined shoe dismally and looks up at Sam with dim eyes.

"Now what?" she asks expectantly.

"This never would've happened if we'd just taken my bike like I said we should've," Sam grumbles, crossing her arms and kicking at the pavement.

"But the restaurant wasn't that far from home and I can't ride with a dress on."

On Cat's insistence, the two had gone out for a fancy dinner at a restaurant a few blocks down from their apartment. Cat had gotten all dolled up for the occasion, going as far as high heels and a sleek red dress. Sam's jaw had nearly hit the ground when she'd come out of their bedroom after she finished getting ready. Sam knew she paled in comparison to this gorgeous redhead with her long lashes and near-perfect hair, but Cat had fawned over her when she'd seen Sam in the only dress she owned, a simple black thing she'd swiped from Carly years ago. Now Sam was regretting even agreeing to this stupid idea. It wasn't as if they could really afford blowing money on nights out with fancy steak…even if it was delicious.

"Just take off the other heel and go barefoot," Sam instructs.

Cat gasps, a hand flying to her mouth and the shadows dancing off her fair features as she hobbles backward in surprise. "Sam, there might be glass on the street!"

Then, as a softly spoken afterthought, "Carry me?"

Sam barks out a cynical laugh and eyes the smaller girl doubtfully. "Right."

"Oh, please! I'm light, I promise! And we're not far from home!"

And in the glow from the streetlight, with her lips pouting and her lashes fluttering, Cat looks more beautiful than Sam has ever seen her and she finds herself at a loss for words for a moment. _No, don't be stupid, _she warns herself, giving her head a shake to clear her thoughts. It wouldn't do her any good to go down _that_ road, not again, not now. But, as always, she finds it so damn hard to say no to Cat.

"Fine." And before Cat can even let out a titter of joy, Sam dips down and scoops her up, holding her bridal style. Cat utters a squeal of surprise but loops her arms around Sam's neck for support.

Sam shifts her grip and bucks Cat further up for better grip and then begins walking, surprised at how little Cat weighs. For all the bibble and candy the girl eats, she's unexpectedly light. _Just like everything about her, _Sam muses with a slow nod to herself.

"Sam?"

"Yeah, kid?"

"You're the best." Cat dips her head as she smiles and snuggles against Sam's chest.

Sam feels her breath hitch but ignores it and continues on, step by step, careful as not to jostle Cat. They round the final corner onto their street and Sam finally brings them to a halt outside of their apartment. Cat looks up at her with those wide, expectant eyes again and, certainly not for the first time, Sam doesn't know what to do. She knows exactly what she _wants_ to do, because right now Cat's literally in her arms and looking so damn pretty that it's all Sam can do to not lean down and kiss her.

But she does it anyway, and she does it while still holding Cat in her arms. She feels her go limp in her grasp and she feels Cat start to kiss back, gently and lightly. And it's perfect and Sam could almost burst at how fucking awesome this is, but she doesn't because right at that moment she realizes how tired her arms are. Carefully, she breaks off the kiss and lowers Cat back down to the ground, steadying her on her uneven heels. The look on Cat's face is the happiest Sam has ever seen her (which is saying something) and then there's that expectant, hopeful light in her eyes again.

"Wanna kiss some more?"

And Sam can never really find the strength to say no.


	4. Dark

_Dark_

Sam is nearly asleep when a hurried, piercing whisper breaks through the silence and the darkness and invades her warm, perfect world of almost-sleep. She pretends she can't hear, although she knows better. But Sam pretends a lot of things these days, and being asleep is only the surface of this deep, dark pool of pretending. Being asleep is the tiniest lie she tells herself, lying her in the dark of their room.

"Sam." The whisper comes again, this time needier and more desperate.

Sam rolls onto her side and squints in the dark. It's abnormally black in here tonight. Even Cat's too-bright-for-life bed can't be seen. Cat herself seems to have been extinguished.

"Yeah?" she mumbles back, her voice hoarse from grogginess.

"It's dark in here," Cat murmurs urgently, rustling underneath her blankets.

"Yeah," Sam repeats in a monotone.

More rustling from Cat's side and within seconds Cat is standing in front of Sam's bed, a sudden silhouette in the dark. Deep brown eyes pierce Sam's gaze and she burrows deeper into the blankets to drown out the fact that she's literally _throbbing_ for this girl in front of her. Sam knows what Cat is going to say before she can say it. She knows what question is coming.

"Sam," Cat says quietly, that one stupid word that just happens to be Sam's name so filled with stupid emotion that it hurts to hear. "I'm scared of the dark."

She says it like it's some big secret, even though it's probably one of the worst kept secrets between the two of them. Cat's heart is always on her sleeve; there's very little Sam doesn't know about her. But so much of Sam is a mystery to Cat, even if Cat doesn't exactly know it yet.

"Can I sleep here with you?" Cat presses on. She can't see what Cat is doing, but Sam knows that she's probably brushing out her hair nervously with her long, nimble fingers, biting down on her lip and glancing around the dark expanse of their room with darting eyes.

"Fine," Sam relents, although she didn't put up a fight. No fight at all.

Cat climbs in with her, pressing up against her and instantly warming Sam with the brightness and warmth that she practically radiates, no matter what the time. She snuggles up close to Sam and throws an arm around her waist without even thinking. Sam stiffens underneath her, for reasons she can only begin to imagine. But that's another thing Sam pretends. She pretends she doesn't notice when she stiffens, or when she blushes, or when they hug and she wishes they had stayed together for just a little bit longer. She pretends not to be a hugger, or a lover, or someone who cares. But she's wrong. All wrong.

"I'm sorry," Cat says, her breath warm against Sam's neck.

"Huh?" Sam mumbles.

"For being scared."

"Don't be," Sam shrugs, her shoulders moving against Cat's. "Everyone's scared of something."

And for all the pretending Sam does, she can't pretend she's too tough to fear. A lifetime ago, she feared a dentist's office in Seattle. But now, she fears things that are realer, closer. She fears things with red hair and bright smiles and tittering laughs and too tight hugs. She fears raging emotions and throbbing aches of longing and becoming too attached even though she knows she's far gone at this point. But she can keep pretending that she's not. After all, she's always preferred ignorance, being in the dark, over knowing the truth and being miserable. So with Cat snuggled up against her as the darkness swallows them up, she pretends that she too is in the blissful dark of not knowing. For now, it will be good enough, she tells herself. But amidst her pretending and denying, she knows that one day soon, it won't be. And when it's not, there will be no more playing pretend, no more staying in the dark. It will be her and Cat, just like always. And she figures that can't be that bad. Cat stirs next to her and Sam feels her heart clench in her chest. Cat is safe now, with her. But if Cat is here, where can Sam hide? The answer is simple, really, a bright pillar in all this darkness.

She can't. And she isn't even really sure she wants to.

**Geez. I had almost lost motivation for this story. This was a hard prompt to fill, and I hope I did it a justice. I'm currently suffering from Pucketine withdrawal, however, so I had to write this. I'm prettylittlepizzas on tumblr if you want to follow me, by the way. Random. **

**Surprisingly enough, I have nothing clever to say today.**

**Review. It will keep the pizzas pretty. **


	5. Seeking Solace

_Seeking Solace_

Cat ached. Every inch of her body felt sore and exhausted and all she wanted to do was sleep and wake up the next morning with that wonderful Saturday morning all-day-head-of-us feeling that she loved so much. With Sam, every Saturday was a good one. But tonight, Cat could hardly begin to look ahead or feel better. She was too tired, too overworked. She hardly ever got like this, but she had worked herself so hard this week at school and babysitting and at rehearsals and playing hide and seek with her emotions. And now she had crashed, like all of her friends had done before. She should have seen it coming, but she didn't. She almost never does. She needed comfort. _I need Sam. _The thought came so quickly, so unbridled, that it scared her and she pushed it out of her mind. Maybe she just needed a bath. Or a massage. Or some hot chocolate and _That's a Drag! _Or…

"Hey, kid." Sam's typical greeting from her place on the couch reached her ears the second she opened the door. "How's school?"

And for a second she just stood there, looking at Sam splayed out on the couch. She was relaxed, every part of her lazy, even her smile. Their eyes met and Sam looked away first.

"What?" she pressed, tough as ever.

"Sam, I…I'm so tired," she blurted, collapsing on the couch next to her best friend and burying her head in her hands. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes, but she realized that she was too tired to even cry.

"Hey, hey," Sam sat up, placing an awkward hand on her back and rubbing small circles gently. "You're fine. If you're tired, take a nap."

Cat looked up, brown eyes filled with surprise at Sam's sudden gentleness. Sam avoided her gaze with all the bravado of one who didn't care. But Cat knew. A silence fell over them, Cat looking at Sam adoringly and Sam moving her hand soothingly against Cat's back.

"You're pretty tense, kid," Sam noted. Her hands changed motion, her rough thumbs and nimble fingers massaging Cat's shoulders and working out all the kinks and tense muscles.

"Where'd you learn to do this?" Cat asked, feeling herself relax under Sam's touch.

Sam shrugged nonchalantly, "I've got a cousin who was a masseuse, before she went to prison, that is. I asked her to teach me how to give good massages in case anyone ever needed it."

"Oh," Cat replied, unsure of really what to say. "Did anyone ever need it?"

"Not before you." The honesty surprised Cat and something warm filled her stomach, although she didn't quite know why.

Sam was gentle, but firm. Her thumbs rolled wide, deep circles around her shoulder blades, hitting just the right spots and unclenching the tight, overworked muscles of Cat's back. It felt good, having someone take care of her and work out the kinks. Sam's hands were skilled and strong, but she wasn't rough or overly gentle. Sam _understood_ Cat and realizing that was almost as good as the massage itself.

Sam yawned, breaking the silence suddenly, and dropped her hands from Cat's back. "I think I need a nap too."

And with that, she dropped back down onto the couch like the entire conversation had never happened. She lay on her stomach, her cheek pressed against the soft fabric of the couch and her arms tucked under her like a cat. She closed her eyes in utter peace and relaxation for a moment, before cracking one eye open and looking up at Cat, who sat at the edge of the couch unsure of what Sam wanted her to do.

"Well, come on," her roommate urged from the couch. "If you're as tired and stressed as you say you are, lie down and sleep."

It was more of a challenge than an offer or request, but Cat didn't want to argue or worry about what exactly Sam meant. So she lay down on the only place she could: right on top of Sam's back, her head tucked against Sam's neck and her arms curled around her. And surprisingly, Sam didn't protest. They just lay there, together, feeling one another breath and warming each other with themselves. Within a few minutes, Sam was snoring underneath Cat, her face relaxed and her breathing gentle. Cat closed her eyes slowly, her long lashes brushing against Sam's cheek. They slept for hours, pressed up against one another and squished onto a couch that was much too small for them.

It was the best nap either of them had ever had.

**I was gonna make this longer, but I'm so tired that I can't and I owe y'all an update so I'm just gonna post this. I've also realized that for a Puckentine fanfic there really isn't much kissing and Puckentining. It's just like…developing. So next time, I promise it'll be more Puckentine-y. **

**I should give credit where credit is due. This installment was partially inspired by this picture: fd2c73c0176678cad01dda419ae5453a/tumblr_inline_ **

**Don't know where it came from originally, but it's all over the Puckentine tag on tumblr. You should check it out. I'm always on there because I'm cool.**

**You can be cool too and review. I love you.**


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